in the meantime, enjoy the first of your nine lives on "the ridiculist." >> tomorrow, number eight be ba with number eight. that does it for this edition of "360." "american morning" starts out in. now. and the house negotiators are here and ready to work. >> he's not lucy. i'm not charlie brown. we're not falling for that again. and a lump of coal. congress skips town with no action on extending that payroll tax cut. the president blasting lawmakers for putting politics ahead of your paycheck. merry christmas, mr. president. his approve rating flirting with 50%. best showing since the spring. the surge just in time for an election year. and scientists find earth's evil twin far, far away. the size is right, but strange life might sizzle on this

"american morning." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com all right. good morning, everyone. it is wednesday, december 21st. i'm christine romans along with my friend ali velshi. >> i have to tell you. i'm excited of the news of the new planet. it's different. not a political log jam. not pay rolle troll tax plan. new planets! we'll tell you all about it this morning. love it. >> other space cases. >> washington first. washington's dysfunction could mean less money in your pay cze paycheck yesterday. rejecting the payroll tax cut. and president obama during a surprise visit to the briefing room raled against this. >> the house republicans referred to what they're doing

as "high stakes poker." he's right about the stakes, but this is not poker. this is not a game. this shouldn't be politics as usual. >> kate bolduan live in washington for us. she's been following this at every step. good morning, kate. the president seemed a little mad yesterday. it was a surprise that he came out. bottom line, though, no deal and ten days to get one. you think it's going to happen? >> reporter: i'll say this, as this fight's dragged on, ali, a real question whether congress will be able to find common ground. yesterday a rejection, instead pushing for the house and senate to go to conference, which is a procedural way the house and senate does sometimes hash out their differences. listen here. this is how house speaker john boehner responded to the president shortly after the vote when he says, the house has acted. >> -- to the president to show

real leadership. he said he won't leave down for the holidays until this bill is done. the next step is clear. i think president obama needs to call on senate democrats to go back into session, move to go to conference and to sit down and resolve this bill as quickly as possible. >> reporter: after that, most house members have since left town. senate democrats refused to prove to a conference pointing to the bipartisan support for the senate short-term extension they passed this past weekend. essentially -- not even essentially. this is definite a standoff, staring contest, whatever you want to call it, it continues. >> what happened to just a bill on capitol hill? >> reporter: that may be a little too simple, when you play -- i am still just a bill, but then throw in politics and -- don't get me started. >> wasn't in the little ditty. anything supposed to happen today on capitol hill that might affect us? >> reporter: not much. the negotiators john boehner appointed to go to conference

could meet today, but not much, obviously, to negotiate, since the senate's out and harry reid standing firm with the president saying he will not reopen negotiations until the house passes this two-month extension. the one funny thing -- maybe just really sad -- we should remind viewers, at this point both sides agree on one thing. they want a one-year extension. they're talking past each other on how to get there and then how to pay for it. >> thank you for that, kate. we'll check in through the course of the morning. if anything develops, you'll let us know. not just a bill. >> and talking about a measure, $4 trillion, $5 trillion -- >> they get stuck on the little things. that's the problem. >> okay. deep breath. new poll numbers bring in the president some holiday cheer. approval rating on the rebound flirting with 50% meaning his re-election chances are gerting b getting better.

49% approve. a five-point boost in a month. cnn political director paul steinhauser live in washington. good morning. the news get better for the president in the matchups against potential gop opponents. >> reporter: yeah. right to the numbers. we asked about a hypothetical matchup. president obama versus challengers. start with mitt romney, former massachusetts governor. 52% for the president. 45% for romney. a shift from last month when romney had a four-point margin over the president. ron paul? look at this one. the president, 52%. ron paul, 45%. a larger margin for the president over the texasen from last month. and newt gingrich? president at 40%. the president, 56%. the numbers you just showed, approval rating. the battle over the extended payroll tax cut and the

democrats and republicans attempt to portray republicans being in favor or helping out the wealthy. one thing about these number, polls change, people change their minds. the election is 11 months away. a long way it go. >> sure is. paul, michele bachmann's campaign claims she was asked to drop out of the iowa race. what can you tell us than? >> reporter: the story line on this one. yesterday, just two weeks to go until the caucuses, a guy called one of the leading prominent iowa faith leaders. he endorsed, personally endorsed, rick santorum, the former pennsylvania senator for president. for the nomination. now, bachmann's campaign, you know, bachmann has been reaching out to social conservatives in iowa, her campaign says they called her saturday and asked them to consider the possibility of merging with another candidate and they did not say whether it should be president or vice president and the campaign, the bachmann campaign, of course, well, we did not consider that at all. this story, i'm sure has more

tales to be told. >> paul steinhauser. we'll ask congresswoman bachmann's claim about this and her chances in iowa in two weeks when she joins us here at 7:30 eastern. and on that same topic, rick santorum is talking about that endorsement from the family leader. the group that reportedly wanted bachmann out. not from the family leader itself but from its leader. santorum placed all chip on winning the iowa caucuses. visited all 99 counties in the state. michele bachmann says she will have done the same thing. now, santorum told john king it's a sign of all the hard work in iowa and it's paying off. >> i feel very confident that, you know, our campaign is on the rise, and the governor told me early on. you can't buy iowa. you've got to work it and we've done it. we've -- actually, 349 town hall meetings, which we'll finish by the end of this week. i'm not predicting any order of finish. look, we're in the bottom right

now of your poll and you're telling me top three finishes. we're going to do better than anybody else projects. we're focused on trying to win here in iowa and that's where we want to go. >> the leaders of the group, the family leader, we'll talk to them later on. the same group that asked candidates to sign a marriage vow that originally including a line suggesting black children born into slavery were better off in terms of family life than african-american kids born today. that line was later taken out. now the santorum endorsement comes with a little controversy. amp reporting the family leader asked for money in return for its influential backing. a santorum spokesman said she made no deal with the group. we'll speak with a man later who said the family leader only asked for cash to help promote the candidate. not because it was trying to sell its support. we'll ask him for answers about the report. the santorum decision, and also what happened with his conversation with michele bachmann. he'll join us at 8:10 eastern.

and people in the plains states are dealing with hats left of a deadly and blinding winter storm. forecasters are warning pre-holiday travel might be close to impossible in several states. the storm left a sheet of ice and two feet of snow in some areas. you know, highways are still closed, and cars stranded across five states. including this highway in kansas. another storm is moving in. >> rob's in atlanta. warned us earlier in the week. how's it looking? what else is on the map? >> the good news, looking at rain now across much of the northeast. here it is moving there. the back side of this thing was the worst part of it, but we do have another system coming on the gills of it. if you're traveling east towards the rainfall, it will be a bigger issue than the snow with this system. the next system could cause a little bit more in the way of problems. new york, philly, rain and low clouds. boston, charlotte, atlanta,

d.c., almost rain and low clouds. detroit and chicago, st. louis and cleveland also. fog, a big problem this morning because of the mild air and all the moisture in place with this system as it heads off to the east. next system coming in will drop in out of canada. get into the plains and northern rockies, drop into denver. a problem later today, tonight and tomorrow. new mexico which just got slammed with this last storm, five to eight inches of snow expected with this. roads are now, at least interstates are open and the places that were shut down with this last storm. a lot of state roads and state highways, guys, remain closed. we'll update you more on the storm a little later on. >> christine is driving from -- >> from new york to iowa. i know. i'm crazy. all weather permitting. looking at rob marciano like he's my guru. >> these good at this. rob, do me a favor, thursday

mo morning, can you do a christmas snow map? where it's likely to be a white christmas? a meteorological thing. >> glad you gave me 24 hours to work that out. by the way, i'm off tomorrow. >> pass that on. i would love a christmas map tomorrow. whatever. there are a lot of things in life i'd like. i'd like to look like brad pitt. that's not working out. >> and i'd like a lot of small bills. a spy captured in iran saying these allegations are untree. a former u.s. marine. this week iranian officials aired video of his confessing to being a trained cia spy. his family says that the confession is obviously false and likely coerced. they say he was in iran visiting his grandmother. the u.s. talks with north korea. the first contact since the death of leader kim jong-il. a state department spokesman says it was a technical discussion about how the u.s. could provide food aid to morning korea. officials say further

discussions will most likely be put on hold as the period of mourning for kim jong-il runs through next week. signs of strength. i can't believe i'm reading these words -- signs of strength in the housing market. the number of new homes breaking ground rose to an annual rate of 685,000 in november. up a whopping 24% from a year earlier and helped spark a surge on wall street. the dow up more than 3 hadn00 p. that rally may be extended another day. u.s. stock futures are up. >> a slow trading. something that otherwise would have a muted reaction in the market, up or down, exaggerated. >> and strong data from europe, too, on their economy and that was important. remember, the housing starts are still way down from where they were in 2006. any little piece of good news was something wall street wanted to hear. and explosive allegations just as u.s. troops left iraq. coming up, iraq's sunni vice president responds to allegations she is behind a hit

squad targeting public officials. why john mccain says the president shouldn't be doing victory laps after the last troops left iraq. and taking big chances on the u.s. border bringing in high-tech surveillance aircraft and shipping out guards on the ground. details on this new strategy straight ahead. it is 13 minutes after the hour. you're watching "american morning." nyquil:what? tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

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an arrest warrant issued and barred from travel. iraq's sunni vice president is denying terror charges. the iraqi government claims ta rauk al ha sheenie targeted government officials. tensions on the heels of the american troop withdrawal. arwa damon is live in baghdad. good morning. what is he saying about these charges? >> reporter: saying that they've been fabricated and are politically motivated. you must remember sh is a sunni leader. the senior leader to hold a

position. and accusing the iraqi prime minister of taking out opponents one by one. this is very much being viewed by the sunnis as another maneuver by a shia dominated government. the issue, it threatens to rip the country apart along sectarian lines once again. the vice president is current in the region of kurdistan willing to stand trial only if not in baghdad. the judiciary is mired in politics here, he says. >> the other side. what does the prime minister say? >> reporter: we heard from prime minister al maliki in a press conference that just ended a short while ago. he is saying the vice president must seek justice, that the iraqi government is quite simply implementing rule of law and demanding that the kurdistan regional government hand him over to the central iraqi authorities. this, again, threatens to open up yet another potential battleline here. that one between the arabs and

kurds. the issue, this is so mired in politics, and politics as we know very well given iraq's recent history tend to go hand in hand with violence. great concerns that this situation is moving towards an incredibly difficult time for the parties to dial the nation back from. >> thank you. and the withdrawal from iraq. >> to return the colors from the united states forces and iraq to the rightful place of the united states of america. >> the return of the colors at a ceremony outside of washington yesterday. army general lloyd austin returned the united states forces iraq command flag, which once flew over baghdad. president obama and vice president joe biden joined military officials for the traditional homecoming. it is the formal conclusion of the nine-year war in iraq meantime, some people are still questioning the decision about the full withdrawal of

troops. on "the situation room" yesterday, senator john mccain said an american presence is needed in iraq. >> it's ironic that the president and vice president are taking victory laps while the government in iraq unravels more rapidly than i thought, but i thought would unravel and simply because we did not maintain a residuals for of some 20,000 troops which we should have, which the obama administration would never agree a specific number, and now the president's re-election campaign is already putting out propaganda saying, promises kept. it's really a low point in my view in the history of american involvement in national security affairs. >> senate mccain went on to say that the u.s. was never serious about keeping a residual force in iraq. and a new strategy for u.s.

border protection. flying in new high-tech surveillance aircraft to spot smugglers and catch illegal immigrants. they're shipping out three quarters of national guard troops downsizing from 1, 00 to 300 on the ground. homeland officials say this will increase arrests. they've dropped more than 50% in the last three years. republican lawmakers say drawdowns on the ground troops could undermine border security. still to come on "american morning," republican presidential candidate jon huntsman, his economic flight endorsed by the "wall street journal's" editorial board, but what's in his plan and what does it mean for your money? we'll break it down. from a guy with a loyal pack of internet obsessed followers to serious contender. could ron paul really win iowa and could the gop live with that? 21 minutes after the hour. ren't. jumper cables, camo anything, a power drill -- ooh!

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24 minutes after the hour. "minding your business" this morning. u.s. stock future, up after a promising housing report helped send the dow up 337 points. new home construction jumped noorn 9% in november. much higher than expected. housing permits of a gauge of future construction and may climb nearly 6%. positive news from europe helping lift stocks today struggling banks there can begin placing orders for unlimited three-year loans from the european central bank. it's an attempt to keep credit flowing during the debt crisis. unemployment dropped in 43 states according to the labor department. just three states reported an increase in their jobless rates.

california filing suits against freddie mac and fannie mae. regarding 12,000 foreclosures in that state and what role they played in selling mortgage backed securities. the justice department taking a closer look at verizon's bid to buy $3.6 billion worth of wireless airwaves what companies use to provide voice and internet service to cell phones. officials want to make sure the deal does not hurt business in the wireless and cable industries. and saab, filed bankruptcy earlier, will no longer honor warranties for vehicles sold in america. general motors stepping up saying it will cover the warranties as long as it was sold before 2010. "american morning" will be right back after the break. [ child ] it's so cool!

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women taking on the ruling military after female protesters were beaten, stomped and humiliated in the streets on this "american morning." welcome back. it is 29 minutes after the hour. time to bring you this morning's top stories -- president obama is slamming house republicans for not accepting the bipartisan senate deal for a two-month extension from the payroll tax holiday. ten days to go until time runs out, house republicans only pass add measure calling for more negotiations in hopes for a one-year extension. with congress taking most of the heat, president obama gets a pre-christmas boost in the polls. call it a santa claus rally. a brand new poll showing 49% approve of the job he's doing as president. a five-point sglujump in a mont

and asking michele bachmann to get out of the race. the family leader threw his support behind rick santorum. the bachmann camp says they didn't even consider dropping out. we will speak to both congresswoman bachmann and the president of the family leader later on this morning. and of the egyptian military reacting to a massive women's protest. demonstrators organized a million woman march to protest military violence against women. the movement sparked by a video of a woman being beaten. you see it there. by security forces. military officials are expressing great regret over attacks on women. cnn's mohammed jamjoom is in cairo with the latest. it's hard to watch that video and the emotion from the women who took to the streets in solidarity with that woman and other women is palpable. what's the military saying this morning? >> reporter: christine, as you said, remarkable yesterday to see so many women out. they were so emotional. they were carrying placards,

calling the military liars and condemning them for the violence that has been practiced against so many female protesters these past few days and, really, outraged more specifically by this video that emerged that you were speaking about showing an egyptian female protester. dragged, beaten, hit repeatedly. she even had her abdomen stomped on after being stripped. something shocking here in egypt. the screened council for the forces, the military council, they issued a statement that read, the supreme council expressed its great regret to the great women of egypt for the violations that took place and reassure its respect and appreciation for egyptian women and their right in protesting and their active, positive participation in the political life. christine? >> hmm. but it is an image. that one image alone and the image of the women marching,

certainly something that showed that their voices are not going to be quieted in this. really, a warning to the military. you've been talking to some of the women from the march. what are they telling you? >> reporter: well, to put it simply, christine, they just don't believe the military. they say it's high time that the supreme council of the armed forces step aside. that a civilian government is put in place here in egypt. that that will be when this l e revolution will have come to fruition saying it is hijacked. they feel women here have been hoarded by the major political parties and military council but not backed in their parliamentary races. they want to see women representing other women in this country. they want to see abusive women stopped. harassment of women that come out into the streets by the military stopped and they don't believe the military and armed forces when they say they're respecting the great women of egypt.

they say simply that's a lie and the treatment they've been receiving must stop and stop and stop immediately and they're emboldened until it stops. blood spewing on the streets of syria. rebel groups say are more than 100 people were killed monday, the deadliest day since protests began. the syrian government is cracking down on armed and vile the terrorists, what it's calling them. announces yesterday it will execute anyone who participates in terror acts. the u.n. says syria has killed 5,000 people since march. dozens of journalists arrested in turkey. police raided a number of newspapers busting an alleged terror plot by kurdish separate tests, claiming the government is cracking down on dissent. more journalists than any country in turkey except china. piers morgan denying any link to britain the phone hacking scandal. the cnn host testified sbefore

british panel investigating ethics. he didn't believe any phone hacking had taken place when they worked there. asked about a story based on a voice message paul mccart karca left for his then wife heather mills. >> at what stage i was played a part of a message pulled up on her mobile phone. can you remember the circumstances, mr. morgan? >> well, i can't discuss where i was played that tape or who played it. to do to would are to compromise the source and i can't do that. >> i'm not sure about that, mr. morgan. you can discuss in general terms where it was, can't you? >> actually, no, i can't. >> it was a tape of a voicemail message. wasn't it? >> well, i'm not going to discuss where i heard it or who played it to me for the reasons i've discussed. and, in fact, the inquiry has already stated to me, don't expect me to identify sources.

>> no, but i think we do expect you to identify what is obvious to anyone reading this, is that you listened to a tape of a voicemail message. is that correct? >> i lived to a tape of the message, yes. >> it was a voicemail message. wasn't it? >> i believed it was, yes. >> meantime, the publisher of the now defunction "news of the world" says he settled with seven of the accusers. and a candidate sitting out iowa focusing on new hampshire is jon huntsman, pulling single ditch us but has an economic plan with the endorsement of "wall street journal." a two-time governor of utah, speaks mandarin fluidly and recently stepped down as president obama's ambassador to china. we've analyzed gingrich and romney's plan. now huntsman today. what's in his plan? the only candidate to come up with a plan to break up the big banks. he'd shut down freddie mac andful f.

andful and increase derivatives. repeal the banking laws, like a lot of the other republican candidates as well. taxes. creating three personal income tax brackets. 8, 14 and 23%. no more mortgage interest deduction or child tax credit, and he would cut the corporate tax rate to 25%. so lower taxes for everyone, but get rid of all of the loopholes. capital gain, dividends and alternative minnesota taxes all gone under his plan, ali. and this is something different. he would change a tax code so that financial players don't get tax breaks for their risky behavior. now, on to europe. he weighs in on this as well saying 18 months into the debt crisis there, the u.s. will not be offering any financial assistance or loans to the eu. very clear about that. no bailouts from the u.s. there's not that risk in that because the federal reserve chief recently assured republicans in congress, ali, the u.s. will not lend to europe again. jon huntsman, the big

endorsement of the "wall street journal" but not really resonating with the republican party quite yet. he's focusing on new hampshire. >> good that we're continuing to remind people about these candidates what they stand for and their various economic plans and we'll continue to do that for all the candidates. christine, thank you for that. and outsider in his own party. a chance the gop might have to live with the reality ron paul could be a force in iowa. very much in contention with less than two weeks toe s to g that is making republicans uneasy. he's in third place in a poll and surging at 14%. this could help his chances later on in new hampshire. speaking to the governor of iowa now saying if ron paul wins, doesn't really matter all that much. >> reporter: in terms of the importance of iowa, is what i'm getting at. if ron paul wins, some republicans are going to say, who cares about iowa? >> well, it's still the first test, and it's --

>> reporter: the test of what? >> the test of strength and who's the best -- first of all, we've always said iowa oils the field. you want to be in the top three. you know, it's not only about who wins iowa. hu huckbee won iowa last time. obviously, this is where obama got his start. so we want to be the state that not only launched obama but sunk him. >> governor jerry branstad says ron paul has the best organization in the state and the most loyal following but doesn't think he'll end up winning in the end. coming up, two earth-sized planets discovered beyond our solar system. what it could mean in the search for alien life.

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welcome back. a cosmic milestone for planet hunters. for the first time nasa telescopes spotted two earth-sized planets outside our solar system orbiting a sun-like star. >> scientists say they are way

too hot for life, at least as we know it. temperatures top out at 800 degrees. 1,000 light years away. even a space nut like me is having a hard time getting excited about this. darin pitts is excited about this. why this is important. he is a chief astronomer in my other hometown at the franklin institute science museum in philadelphia. good morning. good to see you. >> good morning. thanks for having me. >> talk to me about this. i love space. you know i love space. why is this relevant to us? it's forever away. it's 800 degrees. what does this mean to us? >> yeah. well, here's what it really means to us. it means we've made another step closer to finding the holy grill of all this astronomical research we do, that is to find a planet the size of the earth in the right location around its star so that it could possibly have liquid water and, therefore, of course, you know the next line, possibly have some form of life. so that's the big step here. we found planets for the first time that are about the size of

earth. that's a big step forward. >> but it's too hot. 800 degrees, we're told. does that, i guess, i don't know, cause concern there couldn't be life there or just finding a planet that's our size circling the sun like that is exciting enough? >> let me put it in perspective this way. you know, it is extraordinarily difficult for us to be able it find these little, tiny planets orbiting stars at such an incredible distance telling us the equipment we're using is absolutely incredible and the engineers that create them are really great. the other fact is that we are now discovering planets at such a high rate that it's only a matter of time. maybe even less than a year before we find an earth-like planet in the right location where water can be liquid. and that's the real big thing. so it could be really soon. >> this is like in the search for a cure for a disease. you get to a discovery that isn't anywhere close to being your discovery.

the fact you've gotten that far means we're making progress. what would progress -- what would the end goal look like? are we thinking somewhere with some distance that we could one day reach, in may be a planet that may have life on it? >> of course that would be the ultimate thing. if we could find a planet that was only a few light years away that was earth-like that we might be able to create some sort of a generational space journey. you know, we're really talking fantasy here now. but it would be really exciting. the reason why it's so exciting, basically, is, for us to answer this question once and for all. are there other planets like earth, and ultimately, is there any chance for life anywhere else in the universe? and when we look at the number of stars available in this galaxy alone. >> yeah. >> some 300 billion stars. well, the chances are that there are about 23 stars with planets like ours for every 100 stars we observe. so -- there's a huge number of

possibilities for us. >> and that keppler telescope. that technology is unbelievable. we know about one of these planets, what, like a 19-day orbit, because the telescope is looking at a star and sees something flash in front of it, and we know that's an orbiting planet. amazing what this thing can see. >> imagine like this. looking at car headlights from maybe 100 feet away. maybe 200 feet away. can you imagine seeing the drop in brightness if a mosquito flies in front of the car's headlights? that's essentially what this spacecraft is doing, ober incredible distance with 150,000 stars at a tile. again, my hat is off to the engineers and astronomers that had the ingenuity toy crea creah a system. >> derek, sold. i came in with skepticism how important this is. you've convinced me. >> a good thing. thank you.

>> chief astronomer. you're a philly fan. this is a place to visit. take the kids. >> hard to sell me on something that gets a little nerdy. >> that was a comment. >> i meant that in a nice way. it is 46 minutes after the hour. coming up, words of wisdom in the world's oldest stock broker. not kidding. he is 106 years odd and still goes to work. he says the secret to life is surprisingly simple. we'll tell you what it is. 46 minutes after the hour. nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

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good morning. it's 48 past the hour what you need to start your day. president obama, so far, house republicans only passed a measure calling for more negotiations. president obama is getting a pre-christmas boost in the polls. a brand new cnn/orc poll showing 49% approve of the job he's doing as president. a five-point jump in a month. rick santorum picking up the support of a leader, leaders of a key faith group in iowa. the president of the family leaders saying he's backing the former senator for the gop nomination. the accused former syracuse basketball coach bernie fine molestation. now zach tomaselli pleaded guilty to he molested in 1979.

the family of an accused u.s. spy captured in iran saying the allegations are untrue. he is a former u.s. marine. this week iranian officials aired video of him confessing to being a trained cia spy. his family says that confession is false and he was likely coerced. the department of homeland security flying it new high-tech surveillance to catch smugglers and illegal immigrants. downsizing from 1,200 to 300 troops on the ground. homeland security officials say the changes will increase border security. they've already seen arrests drop more than 50% in the last three years. more than 1,000 people killed in the philippines from flash floods, tropical storm washi swept through the area last friday. in the middle of the night while most people were sleeping. hundreds of people are still missing. tens of thousands are now homeless. another sign cuba is moving towards capitalism. banks in the communist-run island are reportedly offering

loans to individual citizens. these loans for people hoping to re-do their home or invest in a private business. big change. that's the news you need to start your day. "american morning" back right after this break.

hmm! look at that. look at that. 51 minutes after the hour. 6:51 in new york city. i'm a little taken by that. that is beautiful. i've not seen 51 outside in a lifetime, because i'm in here. >> you're the happiest person. >> look out your window. for hev naven's sake.

the fountain of youth is here. that said -- the fountain of youth right here in new york on wall street. a stock broker, irving kahn. 106 years old. not only a beautiful skyline but the guy the 106 years old, goes to work every day. >> the original occupy wall street. occupying watt street for 100 years. right before the great depression more than 80 years ago pe began working. his secret, just going to work and doing this job. poppy harlow has the story. >> reporter: wall street 80 years ago. who was there? irvin kahn. when were you born? >> december 1905. >> reporter: hi rang the opening bell at the new york stock exchange on his 100 birthday. that was six years ago. how has wall street changed

during your life? >> well when i got to the street it was much more a rich man's game. not that i was rich, but i mean, it was designed for banks, for insurance companies or railroads, public utilities. it's no longer a rich man's business. it's a business for everybody. >> reporter: do you still watch the stock market very closely every day? >> well, i have the bloomberg, which is right here. i don't watch it, because i'm not a trader. >> reporter: you're a value investor? >> right, and i stick to the 29 stocks that i hold. >> reporter: who is your idol, irving? >> van graham. >> reporter: that's warren buffett's idol, too. >> and a lot of other people. i wish they could do what he did. >> he works every day. >> reporter: what do you think is the reason for your father's

longevity? >> the fact he has an office to go to and a job, and responsibilities is extremely important. >> reporter: do you think that you will live to be as old as your father has so far? >> well, let me ask him. am i going to live -- >> reporter: did you want to? you didn't always have bloomberg terminals right? >> oh, no. i was very lucky being born in 1905. i was just in time. a lot of the new technologies. radio, television. >> reporter: do you have a cell phone now? >> yes, i do. i don't use it much, except to -- to remind myself what my number is. >> reporter: i see. but irv doesn't think technology makes things easier when he looks at the gadgets his grandson uses. >> he also has to know how to work, whatchamacallit, the ibook or the -- you have to know how

to work that and i don't too much. >> reporter: what a joy. what a pleasure it was to spend the day with him. irv, happy birthday. his 106th birthday on monday and he had all the coconut pie. his favorite incht love the fact he uses his cell phone to remind himself what his phone number is. >> you do that, right? >> does he know a lot of people older than him? >> great question. i'll have to ask on his next birthday incomes year. the oldest stock broker? he said one lived older than i. 107. i have a feeling irv's going to make it past that. >> eating thai food for lunch. >> no wheelchair. no breathing assistance. the guy is a miracle. i asked, do you want to live this long? sort of like, i don't know. what's interesting, i said, who's the boss here? because the grandson, the son and irv all work together and kahn brothers investments. so cool.

he said, we're partners in this business, but my dad meets with clients, big clients, big portfolios and he's really working. >> and when we talked to him on his 100th birthday when he rang the bell. >> even then, 1100 years. >> i'm telling you, move to new york. you'll live forever. >> keep working. coming up, congresswoman michele bachmann live from her bus tour, coming to talk to us. tell us about the response to a leader of faith group reportedly asking her to get out of the race in favor of rick santorum. 56 minutes after the hour. i. i. but we believe in helping people take steps to keep them every single day. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow.

this is not poker. this is not a game. this shouldn't be politics as usual. >> now it's up to the president to show real leadership. >> tax cuts left in limbo. president obama and the house speaker going back and forth as congress skips town. your paycheck taking a hit when the holiday bills come around. and deadly whiteouts, snow drifts ten feet high, holiday travel totally halted pap blinding winter storm moving

out. guess what? another one's moving in. a warning for iran. a top u.s. general says iran is playing a dangerous game that could force the u.s. into another nuclear arms race. his exclusive interview. and congresswoman michele bachmann is here saying she is the only consistent conservative in this race. so why does the leader of one faith group allegedly want her out? we're going to ask her on this "american morning." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good morning. is wednesday, december the 21st. i'm reminded the first day of winter. >> true. swirling in the northeast since halloween. there you go. >> good morning. >> good morning. first, house republicans playing the blame game. your money and paycheck caught in the middle of it. ten days away from the payroll holiday tax expiring. your taxes could go up by about $1,000 next year. yesterday president obama slammed republicans for not

accepting the senate's bipartisan two-month extension. yesterday john boehner slammed back. >> it's up to the president to show real leadership. he said he won't leave town for the holiday until this bill is done. now president obama needs to call on senate democrats to go back into session, move to go to conference and to sit down and resolve this bill as quickly as possible. >> the clock is ticking. time is running out. if the house republicans refuse to vote for the senate bill, or even allow it to come up way vote, taxes will go up in 11 days. >> all right. let's ge straight to washington, where kate bolduan is standing by live. good morning. taxes will go up for millions of workers who might not even have felt the extra money in their paycheck this year. kind of the point, to get it in

the paycheck and out into the economy, but would certainly feel it if it comes out? >> reporter: especially with all this attention on it. you'll feel it come january 1st. the house used a procedural ma nyou've maneuver and senator harry reid says he won't reopen talks until the house passes the extension. we handed the football to the house, and house republicans fumbled it. so the staring contest really continues, and while it's quite unclear how this is going to play out, here are some of the more obvious options, of course. house republicans could decide to accept a short-term extension, like the one passed in the senate. extending the payroll tax cut for two months. most house members left town as has the senate and house republican leaders taken a pretty hard stance ton that as we now know. another option, the house and senate could somehow break the log jam and find common ground to extend the tax cut one year.

leaders on both sides say they prefer, be that in conference, though that's unlikely. or some other negotiation, you pointed out, christine, they could just fail to agree and the tax code expires january 1st and the tax increase, 2%. >> senate john mccain is saying the pay roll tax dispute, the entire debacle, is hurting the republican party. listen. >> harming the republican party. it is harming the view, if it's possible anymore, of the american people about congress, and we've got to get this thing resolved. >> do you know, are republicans in congress worried about damaging their own party, especially, you know, an election year coming up? >> reporter: yeah. good to point that part out. the election year aspect of all this. house republicans are definitely taking the heat from both sides. not only the expected pressure from the white house and senate in-house democrats, but also from senate republicans, and john mccain is not alone.

other senate republicans are calling the house move yesterday irresponsible, quite frankly. senator john mccain may just be saying publicly what more republicans are saying privately and not surprisingly, there's a political calculation for both sides in this standoff. no matter how it ends up, neither side wants to be seen as blamed for the gridlock or holding up a tax break. no matter how it plays out, definite political positions as we get closer to january 1. >> kate bolduan in washington. thanks. already getting tweets saying it was the first day of winter. we get into this on the 21st, 22nd. because it happens today or something? i'll ask rob about this. first, there's winter weather out there. whether or not you think it's the first day or not, a deadly and blinding storm winding its way through the midwest. the pre-holiday travel may still be close to impossible in many areas. the storm left a sheet of ice and two feet of snow in some

areas. thinking in kansas here. highways closed, cars stranded across five states. this is highway 15 in kansas yesterday. winter storm warnings up against today as another storm moves in. rob's following this storm and the one that's coming in. >> is it winter, first day of winter, or is it tomorrow? >> depends where you live. pay attention. winter arrives tonight at 12:30 a.m., or tomorrow morning, in the eastern time zone. everybody west of the eastern time zone -- winter arrives today. either way -- anyway -- >> something like that. we're on the cusp of winter. seriously? >> that's right. and leap year. let's talk about the snow and the winter weather that came yesterday. yesterday's blizzard is a whole different storm today across the east coast but sure dumped a lot of snow across parts of kansas. two feet in new mexico, into the high plains and victoria, a foot of snow and then three,

four-foot drifts. that was enough to shut down some highways yesterday. most of those interstates, at least, are open today, but another winter storm dropping down out of canada. seven to ten inches possible in places like montana, wyoming, through colorado. winter storm warnings are posted there, and watches and warnings for not only denver but parts of new mexico which really got crushed with this thing yesterday. the track continues that way. the track of this storm is heading up into the northeast. the great lakes. notice with radar laid over top of the clouds, most in the form of rain. a few pockets of subfreezing air. scoured out for the most part. a big rush for the canadian maritime. the back side of it slightly cooler. the next system dropping into the rockies, this one take as similar pounce. so maybe extreme areas of the northeast will see some snow with this thing for potentially a white christmas there and by then, it will be wintertime for everybody. >> delays today, new york, philly, atlanta, d.c.

problem spot mostly because of rain. a problem with fog this morning in places plik chicago. all the mild air and moisture. 45 degrees high temperature. 58 degrees in new york city. certainly doesn't feel like it in the big apple. >> ali's been doing serious investigating. >> in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014, december 21st is the first day of winter. in 2011 and 2015, december 22nd is the first day of winter. why do you people like to me? >> again, ali -- >> i know you didn't. >> there's not 365 days in a year. we're a little off on that. why does the stock markn't the up every year? go to google, type in let it snow and just chill. >> there you go. >> very confused. thank you, my friend. a tough day. ask newt gingrich. he watched his lead evaporate

last week and on the campaign trail on iowa, a guy cursed him on camera. take a look. >> it's a free country. that's your opinion. >> and in another blow to gingrich, rick santorum who's placed all his chips on winning item wa caucuses just won the backing of leaders of an influential conserve div groati in the state. president of the family leader throwing his support behind the senate for the nomination. the group torn between supporting gingrich and santorum. a little controversy we'll talk to the leader of the group about. >> right. because santorum's backing coming with a back story after the "des moines register" reported the family leader asked for money in return for its influential backing, or in conjunction with its influential backing. a santorum spokesman said his campaign made no deal with the group. bob and havehaver -- vander pla

said different. >> and the family leader asked michele bachmann to get out of the race. the bachmann race said they didn't even consider it. >> we'll talk to michele bachmann about the claim, and about her chances in iowa in two weeks. a strong showing in the summer. she'll join us live at 7:30 eastern. and at 10:00 eastern, president of the family leader. a lot to talk about. what happened with michele bachmann? was there cash asked for in exchange for support? why rick santorum and all about an hour away. >> and new poll numbers are bringing some christmas cheer to the president. his approval ratings are on the rebound flirting with 50% meaning re-election chances are getting better. a brand new cnn/orc poll showing 49% approve of the job he's doing at president. that is a five-point boost in a

month. cnn deputy political director paul steinhauser is live in washington. he's been studying the numbers. paul, the news gets better for the president in matchups against some of the potential gop opponents that he may have to face. >> absolutely right. let's get right to the numbers. the cnn/orc poll. hypothetical matchup with the president against possible republicans who may be the nominees. president in the new poll, seven-point lead over former massachusetts governor mitt romney. last no on our poll, romney actually had a four-point margin over the president. what about the president versus newt gingrich, former house speaker. look at this. actually, this is ron paul. let's do this one instead first. congressman from texas. seven-point advantage, lead, for the president. last month, the probably only had a four-point advantage over paul. gingrich, that's next. a 16-point lead. a big one over the former house speaker. last month, only an eight-point leave over gingrich. what's behind the rise in the numbers and approval rating

numbers you were talking about a moment ago, ali? i think, kate bolduan was talking about it a few minutes ago. the battle over the payroll tax cut. democrats successful in trying to taint republicans as maybe beholden to the wealth e and not the middle class nap may be a contributing factor of his rise in the numbers. ali, remember, people change their minds. polls change. the general election is 11 months away. >> at what point do these polls start reflecting the view of americans who are really thinking about voting in that election? in other words, ask anybody anything in december before the election. when do they start to match up to election results? >> a lot closer to the election. a lot closer. i'm not discarding these numbers at 5u, but yauv got to get closer to the caucus. anything can happen. >> numbers are relevant for now. the question asks, if the election were held today. >> exactly. >> definitely informative. good to see you, my friend. new this morning, the family of an accused u.s. spy captured in iran says these allegations

are simply untrue. ameer is a former u.s. marine. this week iranian officials aired video of his confessing to being a trained cia spy. his family says that confession is obviously false and is likely coerced saying he was in iran visiting his grandmother. and u.s. talks with north korea. first time since the death of leader kim jong-il. a spokesman says it was technical discussion how the u.s. could provide food aid to north korea. further discussions will be put on hold because the period for mourning for kim jong-il runs through next week. researchers agreed not to publish a stud they describes in a nik changenetic. a chicken carcass tested positive for the avian flu in hong kong. the market declared an infected place. the government is working to trace that chicken's origin.

still to come, members of congress accused of insider trading, getting rich doing the same thing that would send you to jail. how prevalent is this and is anything being done to stop. a top u.s. general talking exclusively to cnn. saying iran is playing a very dangerous game. that exclusive interview ahead. and congresswoman michele bachmann joins us live. whether she can still win in iowa. you're watching "american morning." it's 13 minutes after the hour. . let's do it, let's go to vegas. vegas baby! maybe we should head back to the dealership first? vegas! no, this is a test drive. vegas! [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a jetta. that's the power of german engineering. get zero first month's payment, zero down, zero security deposit and zero due at signing on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com. [ both ] ew, i do!

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all right. welcome back. some in washington are accused of getting rich by doing things that might get you in serious trouble otherwise. hedge funds setting up lawmakers to discuss legislation and trading on information that you don't have access to, and they're making money from the outside it looks like something called insider trading. >> it may not be. joining us, henry, a former top stock analyst banned from wall street -- >> you auz have to say that. >> henry's used to it.

heard it before. named in an sec complaint about conflict of interests a few years ago. a founder and editor-in-chief of "business insider ". henry good to see you. >> great to be here. >> gray area. what are the hedge funds doing some people think might feel, look or smell like -- >> people are working for us. that kills me. the people working for us making money off it. >> one is actual congress people trading on information they're getting in the course of their jobs during the financial crisis. running back to their office, doing trades based and private briefing. certainly what appears to have been lapping. a book came out about a month ago. the second the "wall street journal" wrote about yesterday, hedge fund meeting with congressmen and senators, both of things -- >> hedge funds, their job, get as much information as possible and they're clear about it.

what do the congresspeople get out of it? why are they giving this information freely to hedge fund investors? >> they would say, we want to know what these powerful people in our society think. of course, we're trying to come up with legislation that works for everybody. these are important constituents. we have to know what they're thinking. i assume they're also thinking, and by the way, these are rich folks with a lot of none donate to campaigns, everything else. it's money and information. >> so the idea here is that if everybody has access to the same information, we can all make our choices as to whether or not we invest in them. the concept of insider trading is trading knowing something ahead of everybody else. and it's relatively narrowly defined. are these things happening, do you think they're illegal? >> probably outside the current definition of insider trading law, which is usually having to do with inside information at companies. >> right. >> yet you don't need a ph.d. to say, when a huge piece of health care legislation is being voted on it's going to affect every economy in the industry.

if you have an and vanced tip on what that decision is going to be, you know what's going to happen with the companies and you can trade on that. any reasonable investor would want to know that. at the very least -- >> a study performed by business professors showing how well members of house beat the market by 6% an yael. senators by 10% annually. are they lucky, smarter than the rest of us or is all of this part of this machine of information that helps these members and senators out? >> given there are lots of smart people in lots of sessions in addition to congress, you have could conclude there is some edge. no mystery based on the book a couple months ago about how you trade and representative spencer bachus, going into a private briefing with the treasury secretary. what's happening to the economy? immediately running out and making trades. his excuse was, a fool could have seen that the economy was

headed into doll dru headed doldrums. i would ask, do we want our congresspeople and senators rushing back to their offices to mach trays make trades based on private meetings. >> whether it's journalists in private briefings with people or congressmen -- >> we don't rush out and trade on something. >> in fact, i'm sure there's a policy that -- >> no way. >> you cannot trade in companies that you talk about. certainly can't short them. >> you may have an overall opinion where the market is going -- >> christine, if you have information at a briefing and did trade on it, wasn't coming from a company, that's not against the law. >> you'd go write a story about it. the difference. >> i would make two points. one, if this happened in a corporation, washington would be very -- screaming bloody murder how deep the corruption is. >> yes. >> have to change the law,

everything else. two, a corporation would say it's the appearance of wrongdoing. >> uh-huh. >> boy is there an appearance of wrongdoing here. it's amazing to me that people feel that that's okay, that you can have a private briefing with the treasury secretary, run off and make trades and then defend it by saying, anybody would have known. >> is there a remedy? something somebody is saying to do to fix this? if you're a legislator, you work for a legislator and you're in a room and you get information not publicly disseminated you should not be allowed to trade on it? >> quick public disclosure to help. any light shined on it now will help. the sec has to look at this as to whether a hedge fund can meet with a legislator right up ahead of a vote, whether that should be considered inside trading. >> companies have to every quarter, maybe these guys and women should have to say what they're doing every quarter, although since they can't agree on any ledge slas now, they're not makingmy trades, because they can't get -- >> the bet now, no one's voting.

nothing's getting done. hen henry, founder and editor-in-chief, former wall street analyst. and congresswoman michele bachmann joins us live from the campaign, still to comkucome sa she's the only consistent conservative in the race. and one key group wants her out of the race. we'll talk about it. 'tis the season for mailing packages. if you got yours intact, be thankful. we have the worst deliveries ever. caught on tape. >> whoa! that's your tv set. >> buy the insurance. it's 22 munts after the hour. minutes after the hour. what is that? it's you!

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welcome back. "minding your business" this morning. u.s. stock futures are up again after a promising housing report yesterday sent the dow up 337 points. new home construction jumped more than 9% in november. much higher than expected showing the housing market, future construction also climbed nearly 6%. positive news from europe helping lift stocks. today struggling banks there can begin placing orders for unlimited three-year loans from the european central bank. an attempt to stabilize the banking sector and get credit flowing during the debt crisis there. catching a breather after this ecd measure. a bank of america stock which is down more than, wow, 60% since the beginning of the year is up nearly 1% in pre-market trading. at $5.21 a share's still down a lot, b of a, back up above the key dollar mark. one of those stocks in a lot of

people's 401(k)s. and bank of america could be close to settling an investigation with the justice department. at issue, whether the countrywide practices unfair lending practices encouraging risky loans at the heart of the financial crisis in the ensuing recession. according to bloomberg under the deal which could be announced this week, country wide customers could be compensated. bank of america fwaut at the height of the crisis in 2008. honda shipping cars made in china to north america. significant, because companies import a lot of products from china to keep costs down, manufacturing edge. the cars, roua lot of those imported from china into the united states. another in-road in american manufacturing from the chinese manufacturing juggernaut. "american morning" will be right back after this break.

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welcome back. it's about 31 minutes past the hour. >> not the first day of winter. >> okay. we sorted this out. tomorrow is the first day of winter. time for this morning's top stories -- president obama slams house republicans for not accepting the bipartisan deal for a two-month extension. house republicans so far only pass add measure calling for more negotiations in hopes of a one-year extension. a deadly and blinding storm is winding its way through the midwest. it left a sheet of ice and snow in some areas of the plains. stranded across five states. another storm is moving in. a top u.s. general has a blunt warning for iran. he says the country is playing a dangerous game. general martin dempsey says that iran continues its nuclear ambitions it could force the u.s. into another arms race and spark a major conflict in the middle east.

the general made those comments in an exclusive interview with cnn's barbara starr. and presidential candidate michele bachmann is on a bus tour hoping for a late comeback with two weeks to go. her campaign claims the leader of a very influential conservative group asked her to consider getting out of the race but she is all in the race as she has been sin the beginning. congresswoman bachmann joins us from the trail in davenport, iowa. good to see you again, congresswoman bachmann. >> good to see you, ali. pleasure to be with you on cnn. >> we always have to fight over you and you're an iowan and christine's an iowan, but i won today. 13 days before the cacaucus in your home state. you say your birth. polls have you in fourth place. fluid polls. a far cry where where you were in august. thought of as the front-runner in iowa. what do you think about where you stand right now?

>> that's because i won iowa's straw poll, most important election we've had so far in this race. now we're seeing after the last debate that was held in sioux city, we are a bullet racing up it's charts. the momentum has switched. we are in the middle of our 99-county tour, just about at our 50th county. we're doing about ten counties a day and it's been overwhelming, the response we're getting from people. we feel very confident about the results on january 3rd. >> what are you hearing when out there? we always wonder. you know i like to travel, get on our cnn bus. i think you learn more from people when you're out in their communities. rick santorum's been to 99 counties. what are you hearing from people that's different or you otherwise wouldn't be hearing when you're out on the ground? >> well, people were very happy that in the last debate that i took it to ron paul on the area of national security. of all the candidates in the race, i have the most national

security experience that is current. i sit on the house intelligence committee. and this issue dealing with iran and iran obtaining a nuclear weapon is one that is a center point we have to address, and people were grateful that i took that issue on. as a matter of fact, there's an article in the "huffington post "this morning that said of all the candidates i am the one best prepared to take on barack obama in the debates and to be able to defeat him. >> a big endorsement up for grabs in iowa from the family leader. they didn't end up endorsing anyone. reports, other reports say they did. the leader, the guy that runs it, bob vander plaats, did enunderstand endorsing rick santorum and in are reports i just want to larry hear it from that he phonedy and asked you to get out of the race? >> that's true, and in would be no reason for us to do that, because we've always poll aid bov rick santorum. plus, the momentum shifted tremendously this last week

after the last debate. i also have the endorsement of the former leader of the family leader council, and i have the endorsement of the head of concerned women for america here in iowa as well as over 100 pastors. i have probably the strongest level of support of any of the candidates here among the evangelical community in iowa and a caravan of pastors traveling across iowa last week letting people know i am the best candidate on these issues. a very widespread level of support and plus glenn beck said he would be voting for me. we have a lot of support across iowa. >> what do you think the point of what discussion was to do something that makes sure mitt romney doesn't win in iowa? what's the concern of those conservative voters who suggest you should step out in favor of rick santorum? >> well, i think those would the people who are on his campaign, but, again, that's not where we're coming from. i am the only candidate that's won here in iowa, and i'm the

one who has the momentum that's shooting up the chart right now. so what we're focused on is getting our positive message out all across iowa, which we're doing, and we are thrilled with the residents that we're getting. iowans are making their choices right now. 60% of the people are undecided and we're seeing a tremendous shift, over 1,500 people have come our way just over the last few days. we see tremendous shift and momentum. we think a lot of people will be surprised on january 3rd. >> congresswoman, you and i talked many time, been on the road together. you have a great grasp of issues. you struggle whether or not you're getting things accurately. newt gingrich said you needed to get your facts straight. listen to your response. >> after the debate that we had last week, politifact came out and said everything that i said was true. i think it's outrageous to continue to say over and over through the debates that i don't

have my facts right, when as a matter of fact, i do. i'm a serious candidate for president of the united states, and my facts are accurate. >> no question you're a serious candidate, although politifact actually had said they rated one thing as mostly true and one pants on fire. i like that rating. a fun one, because it's a fun name for it, but that meant that they thought it was inaccurate. do you feel like you're not -- you know, still feel like you're not being treated like a serious candidate and do you think this might be a contributor to it? >> i think that the problem is, that newt gingrich came across as very condescending in the way he spoke to me. i am not his student. i'm a serious candidate for president of the united states, and i think it's important that we treat each other that way, and i think, again, i have a long history. i am a federal tax lawyer. i started my own successful company. i employed scores of people. i've raised 23 foster children.

five biological children. i started the first k-12 charter school in the united states. i have a series of accomplishments and i have a lot to offer, and i firmly believe isn't -- that we will win near iowa and are looking forward to prevailing on january 3rd. >> i want to ask you about the federal tax cut in a minute, but i want to -- answer any way you want. totally fine what you say about us and the mainstream media. do you think the mainstream media has treated you fairly as a candidate? >> i don't have any quarrel with the media. i haven't during this entire campaign. the media is what the media is and it's up to me to be able to communicate through the media. so i'm grateful for the response we've had. >> talk about the payroll tax cut. you talked about it just this weekend on "meet the press." i want to play for our viewers what you said. >> i didn't support it a year ago when it was first proposed and the reason why i didn't is

wah it denied $1 $111 billion t the social security tax fund. it's not a good thing last year and not this year. the reason president obama proposed it in the first place, to create jobs. there's no one shred of evidence that that created jobs. >> factcheck.org says the money comes from the general fund, not the fund that you stead did, and they said it does create jobs. do you maintain your position that you don't think it does and that's why you're holding out on it? >> well, the payroll tax cut deprives the social security trust fund of $111 billion. that's significant, because senior citizens are dependent upon their checks that they're looking forward to from the federal government. those checks have to be paid, and when the money is not available in the social security trust fund, then social security hey to go to the general treasury to take more money to

send those checks out. so the bottom line is that we are adding to the debt, and adding to the deficit. that's what's wrong with washington. that's why we need a new president. we need a president that will stop adding to the debt and the deficit and live with our means. this is a president who's been a spendaholic for his entire presidency. he has no concept about ad revenue by growing the economy. that's my forte. i know how to do that. i know how to get our economy back in balance, and that's what i intend to do as president. >> so you're not -- you will not vote for either two-month ex-text or the one-month extension? you're staying solid? >> i won't vote for either one. you're right. i won't vote for either one, ali, because they're both temporary gimmicks. as a businesswoman myself what we need are permanent solutions. this is not a permanent solution, and i will tell you business people across america tell me, i'm not making a hiring

decision based upon this tax payroll extension. it's not going to happen. let's do what works. let's not pretend, dance around and try and be politicians. i'm not a politician, and have no interest in being a politician. i'm a real person in the business world. that's do what works to create jobs, not to make ourself look good. what we need to do is have a permanent solution. that's what i would do at president of the united states. >> michele bachmann always a pleasure to talk to you. watch the voice. a lot of campaigning to do in the next few weeks. >> thanks, ali. >> good to see you. michele bachmann, of course, a republican from min mnesota and presidential candidate. demonstrators organized a million woman march to protest military violence against women in egypt. sparked by the video you're seeing, a woman being beaten by security forces. military officials expressing great regret over attacks on women.

cnn's mohammed jamjoom is in cairo. the individual joe hard to watch. >> reporter: that's right, christine. extremely hard to watch. that video is weren't of the key things that drove women out into the streets yesterday. about 2,000 of them, by our estimation. they came out because they were angry at the abuse being suffered by female protesters in egypt at the hands of the supreme council of the armed forces and the security forces here the past week. that video particularly showing a woman who was veiled being dragged, being kicked, being beaten. being clubbed. being stripped partially of her clothing and even stomped upon by the riot police has caused so much outreach here in egypt. one of the big reasons women were out yesterday. they had placards calling the armed forces here liars saying they should step aside. for their part, the supreme counce you of the armed forces, you mentioned, they put out statement of regret that read, the supreme council expresses its great regret to the great women of egypt for the vile aces

that took place and reassure its respect and appreciation for egyptian women and their right in protesting and their active, positive, participation in the political life. christine? >> all right. mohammed jamjoom, thank you for that. still to come this morning, a dangerous game. a top u.s. general has warning for iran he's telling it exclusively to cnn. that live report up next. ever wonder what happens to packages after you mail them out? >> no, no. don't do that. >> might make you cringe. the worst deliveries ever caught on tape. you're watching "american morning." it's 43 minutes after the hour. [ older brother ] hey, that's the last crescent.

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all right. welcome back. t theu.s. has a blunt message for iran. stop your nuclear weapons program. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff says iran is playing a dangerous game that could hurt the middle east and force the u.s. into a nuclear arms race. general martin dempsey spoke exclusively with cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara joins us now live. strong words, barbara. >> reporter: strong indeed,

christine. general dempt general dempsey is president obama's chief military adviser. cnn was the only news team with him as he traveled throughout the middle east and he made clear iran is a growing worry. general martin dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, beganis middle east tour in kuwait. everywhere even in afghanistan iran's nuclear intentions are a growing worry. in an exclusive interview with cnn, the plain-spoken general has a blunt message for the iranian regime. >> i think they're miskale cl e clating our resolve. >> reporter: what could that mean? >> i don't know. any miscalculation, we're drawn into a nuclear war. >> reporter: and quietly leading

to an attack in the president gives the order. >> examining a range of options. >> reporter: are you satisfied if asked the u.s. military would be able to execute and option against iran? >> i'm satisfied that we are -- that the options that we're developing are evolving to a point where they would be executable if necessary. >> reporter: dempsey has no guarantees israel will give the u.s. warning if it decides to attack iran. but he acknowledges the u.s. is sharing intelligence with israel. >> we're trying to establish confidence on the part of the israelis that we recognize their concerns and are collaborating with them on addressing them. >> reporter: and the loss of the u.s. spy drone over iran exposed the u.s. espionage effort, which is critical for any military option. >> if you're asking, are we gathering intelligence against iran, in a variety of means, the answer is, of course. wouldn't it be -- it would be rather imprudent of us no to try tondetandhat a nation

who has declared itself to be an adversary of the united states is doing. >> reporter: dempsey also made a stop in saudi arabia on the way home. the saudis talked about starting their own nuclear weapons program, if -- if -- iran was to get a nuclear weapon. that kind of arms race in the middle east is something dempsey says would be a disaster for everyone. christine and ali? >> barbara starr, thanks. still to come this morning, packages crushed. the worst package deliver orders ever. i order so much. >> two of my recent packages completely in smithereens. and 46%. today's "romans' numeral." it has to do with value of your home. surprising signs of strength but at the same time, still taking a hit. 49 minutes after the hour.

this morning's "romans' numeral." . 46% of homes sold in november were what? >> empty. >> distressed. a real estate owned by the bank or short sales. meaning people had to get out.

when you sell a house distressed, short sale, you sell it for thousands and thousands of dollars less than you probably could if you held on to it. >> you've permanently lost that equity now. >> just a sign that you still have a lot of back log of trouble in the housing market, even as we've seen new construction of condos and apartment buildings pop up. >> which is funny. >> yesterday we saw this big surge in the stock market because of that new construction and new permits which is definitely a good sign, but we still have a lot of distressed homes on the market. a lot of underwater homes. we're not done with this thing. crazy reactions in the stock market because it suggests that, oh, my goodness, some problem has been lifted. it's still there. >> i think it's interesting that condos and apartment buildings is where you see that excitement. it's not in that distressed home that you see it for a short sale. thousands of packages being mailed out. >> i love this video. >> i think they pack my thing really nicely and somebody delivers it really nicely. >> the next story will make you

cringe. jeanne moos shows you the worst delivery ever caught on tape. >> reporter: 'tis the season for packages and next time you open one in tact, be grateful this didn't happen to it. this was a computer monitor, tossed over a gate in southern california by a fedex delivery man. but then the surveillance camera video was delivered to youtube and made the news. and now fedex is saying, we have seen the video and frank lee we were all shocked. but that's not the only drop off memorialized on youtube. >> handle with care. just like that. ground service, i get it. ground. >> reporter: it's not just fedex. >> what can brown do you for you? >> reporter: u.p.s. brown can toss your package underhand. it can tauz it overhand. >> look at that.

>> reporter: it can toss it like a horse shoe. fences and gates are the delivery man's nemesis. from a delivery point of view, gates are hostile. don't like it, get rid of the gate. the guys videoing this u.p.s. delivery man compared his technology to loading garbage. >> think there is going to be anything damaged in there? >> reporter: of course, it could be worse. at least they're not ace ventura. of all the special deliveries we saw, none was more special than this by fedex. there were sparks coming off the box and the man who was shooting. >> this guy has no idea that he's pushing an oven. >> reporter: as for the computer monitor heaved over the gate, the person who posted it said the monitor was broken and it's

sad because he was home at the time if the delivery man just rung the bell. does this guy still have a job? fedex told cnn we have i.d.'d the man involved and he is being handled according to our internal disciplinary policies. >> when it positively, absolutely has to be there overnight. >> reporter: not in one piece. now that everyone has a camera, it does not pay for the delivery elves to get sloppy. >> he knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> we needed that. >> i get most of my stuff delivered and not a lot of it gets broken, but in new york there's no throwing and no fences and just building to truck. words of wisdom from the world's oldest stockbroker. he's 106. still working on wall street. he says his secret to long life is surprisingly simple. we'll tell you what it is,

coming up. you're watching "american morning." about 57 minutes past the hour. [ male announcer ] what's the beat that moves your heart?

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i'm christine romans. blinding snow, sheets of ice, ten-foot-high snow drifts. a winter storm leaving behind a holiday travel nightmare and more snow is on the way. this guy is not a fan of newt. a voter curses out the gop frontrunner as he feels more pressure in the polls on this

"american morning." good morning, everybody. wednesday, december 21st. welcome to "american morning." >> the day before the first day of winter. >> you started a twitter war. >> yesterday i made a joke about stonehedge and today the winter people or solstice people are mad at me. >> maybe it's connected. >> there you go. all right, we do have some, whatever you think winter starts, we have some winter weather. forecasters are warning that preholiday travel may be close to impossible in many areas this morning. a deadly and blinding winter storm is winding its way through the midwest. the storm left a sheet of ice and two feet of snow in some areas from new mexico through the oklahoma panhandle and into kansas. highways are closed, cars are stranded across five states. the national weather service is warning drivers to use extreme caution as crews are continuing

to work to keep those roads clear. >> the travel nightmare lingering. winter storm warnings propping up aga up, again, today, and rob ma marciano is in the weather center. >> the other side of that, the good news, most of the east coast, at least for this storm, is on the warm side. here's a look at the snow totals. you saw that video, dramatic stuff. two and three-foot snow drifts closing down interstates and highways and some of which are still closed this morning. victoria, kansas, 14 inches. in new mexico the day before two feet of snow in some spots and that coupled wh 70-mile-per-hour winds. this one certainly for the record books. this one will cause more snow across parts of the northern rockies and drive down into denver, as well. winter storm warnings posted there and winter storm warnings posted for new mexico that just got clobbered with this last system. the blizzard of yesterday is now the heat pump of today and

driving up warmth from the south across much of the eastern third of the country. here's where the rain is moving into new york, d.c., cincinnati up through cleveland. there are some pockets across the northeast where temperatures are right at or below the freezing mark to start the day, so, there will be some slick spots this morning if you're doing some dravl, but temperatures on the way up as we go through time. this storm makes a quick jaunt and slightly cool air behind it, but not change much over to snow. the next system coming up will have a better chance of mixing in with wintry precip. across extreme northern parts of new england come thursday night into friday morning and then maybe a little flurry or two christmas eve and christmas day in some spots. but we don't expect to see a white christmas for a lot of people. new york, philadelphia, atlanta and d.c., you'll see some delays because of the rain and low clouds. we have some fog issues this morning across chicago and the lower hand of michigan. 45 degrees in chicago. 55 degrees in new york. certainly doesn't feel like winter, which officially arrives

tonight at 12:30 a.m. eastern time. >> we're all clear on that now. i walked out of the apartment this morning expecting i would be fully koel y cold and it was and warm here. rob, how is that white christmas map coming along? >> all my little elves are working on that. >> i appreciate that. thank you, nice to see you, my friend. >> rob is off tomorrow, but i think we'll have a white christmas map. >> you think he'll do that before he goes home on vacation? >> no. reports of the new leading kim jong-un will share power with his uncle and the military. the country will shift to collective rule from a dictat dictatorship. kim jong-un is the son and successor of kim jong-il. the family has ruled north korea since it was founded after world war ii. moammar gadhafi's son has been seen for the first time since he was captured 33 days

ago while trying to flee libya. human rights watch says saf gadhafi is being held in isolation but in good, physical condition. tough being on top, just ask newt gingrich. he's watch his lead evaporate in the last week and in the campaign trail in iowa, in a town called mt. pleasant a guy cursed him out on camera. jim acosta is following this for us. what's going on here, jim? >> that kind of week for newt gingrich. under attack by the other candidates in the field. there are all of these super pack funded attack ads that are aimed at the former speaker and then at a grocery store, as you put it in mt. pleasant yesterday, a voter walked up to newt gingrich and said something that began with the letter f, it was not feliz navidad and politically speaking in this grocery store it was a clean up on aisle four. here's what this voter had to say.

>> well it's honest. luckily, it's a free country. >> what was that all about? here's what the voter had to say. >> because he's a liar and a cheat and a hypocrite. and he's everything bad about it. he doesn't have any right doing what he's doing. at least that's my opinion. >> and it's been a tough week for newt gingrich. he, you know, has been saying to the press the last couple of days that, look, all these negative attacks are starting to have a cumulative effect. they're starting to tear down his campaign. in iowa he's called on mitt romney to call off his superpack. mitt romney has responded "i can't do that. we're not supposed to be coordinating." newt gingrich has fired back, that's baloney. the last couple days, ali and christine, newt gingrich is in trouble in iowa and he may be

finished in iowa. folks have been saying that sort of thing. there's a new poll out from the iowa state university and kcrga a local station in iowa shows ron paul on top at 28%, but newt gingrich right behind ron paul at 25% within the margin of error followed by mitt romney at 18%. newt gingrich is very much in this iowa caucus and still come out on top. don't count him out just yet. >> the voter who said to him not feliz navidad, did he tell shaup if he was a registered republican? >> we didn't get that out of him. this was one of the chaotic scenes when sean happened to be rolling when this voter went up to newt gingrich and said these things. shortly after he announced he was running for president earlier this year another voter went up to him and said something really ugly to the former speaker and this happens

to him out on the campaign trail and it does seem to happen to newt gingrich because he arouses these sorts of passions in people and it's something he has to deal with out there. >> he dealt with it with a smile and moved along. >> probably the best way to do it. >> yeah, it's been a tough, i mean, the endorsement that went to rick santorum yesterday, that was a serious blow to newt gingrich. he was trying to win that endorsement. he's counting on value voters to put him over the top in iowa and not get that endorsement was a major blow in this campaign. i know you're talking shortly. >> yeah. >> that should be very interesting. >> i'm glad you brought it up, jim. we are going to talk about this, particularly, the long shot rick santorum who placed all thiz chips on winning the iowa caucuses. the president, the family leader throwing his support behind the former senator for the nomination and there are questions this morning in a new report about how he came to that decision. joining us now from des moines is the president of the family

leader, bob vanderplats. welcome to the program. >> i appreciate you having me on your program. >> the group itself did not make this endorsement because you couldn't come to a consensus. like a lot of other evangelicals and the republican party in general in iowa, looks like people are casting to find out who their candidate is going to be. let me ask you this, you personally have chosen rick santorum, why? >> well, i did personally select rick santorum but it's overstated that our board couldn't come to consensus. what the board came to consensus on, it's not a kingmaker and a lot of supporters supporting a lot of different candidates. so, the board said, but the caucus goers still needs to have a voice of leadership. a lot of undecided caucus goers out there yet today so they allowed myself and my colleague chuck hurley to make a personal endorsement. we both endorse senator rick

santorum because he brings everything back to the family whether it's limited government, thriving economy, economic freedom or national security, he talks about the families being the basic unit that we all need to be concerned about. so, we actually believe he comes from us and not to us. >> with that personal endorsement, presumably one of the reasons why so many of the candidates want your endorsement is because you're sort of the standard-bearer there in iowa and also because you have the voter list. you're tapped into a network of evangelical voters who want to know who you're interested in. tell me a little bit about what you can do for rick santorum and what you want rick santorum to do for you. in pointed in the de"des moines register" we would like money, maybe a million dollars to help get out there and advertise our support for you. explain to me that relationship? >> first of all, absolutely not. we would never ask a candidate. by the way, when you endorse rick santorum you should probably know that you're not asking for a million dollars.

we would never ask a campaign or candidate for funds, especially when you do a personal endorsement. now, my job is going to be to mobilize a network of supporters. if i can raise funds to help out rick santorum i'll raise funds. but we'll do everything in the next 13 days to get the vote out for rick santorum. we believe that iowa will break late and it is going to break fast. i think rick santorum has the opportunity to be the surprise and to be the mike huckabee whose campaign i cheered back in 2008. i believe he has the opportunity to be the surprise on january 3. >> mike huckabee didn't get the nomination, though. >> but a lot of people believe mike huckabee should have got the nomination. it was after iowa where they gave us john mccain. he got defeated by barack obama. governor huckabee was the right choice in '08 and santorum will be the right choice in 2012. >> michele bachmann was on the program, can you tell me, you had asked her to merge her campaign with another candidate.

who would you like to see her merge her campaign with and why isn't, why isn't bacmmann, i don't know, why isn't the congresswoman good enough to go it alone here? >> well, first of all, we had a board meeting on friday and what the board said on friday is what a lot of caucus goers are saying. there's several good pro-family candidates in this race. to make the decision a lot easier if a couple would team up and basically form a team. we believe that would be a winning strategy because right now we're fragmenting our support for really four really good candidates. i talked to a few candidates and i said i'm not saying what you should do and not telling you to drop out or anything of that nature, but maybe if you like another candidate, maybe you and the other candidate should get together and say, hey, can we make something work where it's a team deal, not quid pro quo, but let's advance our issues and let's win iowa on january 3. >> so nice to see you this morning, president and ceo of

the family leader. >> good to see you, too. >> so much news going on in iowa and ron paul racing up the polls. >> newt gingrich fighting for that lead and michele bachmann who used to hold the lead there. a lot of national activity around mitt romney. >> this is usually the time of the year when they staked out their candidate sign in the front yard. people don't have their signs up yet. they're still trying to figure out who their candidate is going to be. that is late in the game. >> this conversation with bob about michele bachmann. congresswoman bachmann joined us half an hour ago responding to bob vander platts that she get out of the race. he phoned you and asked you to get out of the race? >> that's true. there would be no reason for us to do that because we always polled above rick santorum and, plus, the momentum has shifted tremendously this last week

after the last debate. i also have the endorsement of the former leader of the family leader council and i have the endorsement of the head of concerned women for america here in iowa, as well as over 100 pastors. i have probably the strongest level of support of any of the candidates here among the evangelical community. >> bachmamn won the iowa straw poll and now she's polling fifth or sixth place. do not miss what this is leading up to. the iowa caucuses, the candidates' first true test is on tuesday, january 3rd. of course, here at cnn we have special live coverage with the best political team on television. it starts at 77:00 p.m. eastern time that evening. of course a lot of coverage leading up to it. the white house takes the payroll tax war to twitter. asking what does $40 mean to you? the results a flurry of response funny, sad, and some quite surprising about what americans do with $40 each pay day. we're live from the white house,

coming up. also ahead, two earth size planets have been found orbiting a sun-like star. what does this all mean? why astronomers are calling it a benchmark moment in science. and he started out reading ticker tape. now, irvin kahn reads them on a computer screen. meet the 106-year-old stockbrok stockbroker. 14 minutes after the hour. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.

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happening right now. you're looking at live video from the russian souse rocket. there we go. and a russian cosmonaut. it is ignition. we do not have takeoff yet, but it is about to happen. take a listen. >> the soyuz is delivering 102 tons of thrust. measures 68 feet in length and 24 feet in diameter and burning

liquid fuel for the first 2:06 of flight. >> beautiful night launch, as well. so, now you know, this is the way we get to space. ever since between the end of the space shuttle program and the beginning of the commercial program, which is probably still a couple years away -- >> we hitch a ride. >> this is how we get up. we hitch rides on soyuz. by the way, the astronauts used to tell me, you think when you get into the shuttle it's tight, you have separation there, we just saw that. you think it's tight in there. the soyuz rockets, they're really very snug for that ride up to the space station. >> expected to dock friday. >> that's how they get back and forth. i love space, little clauser phobic. when you find out that one of your means of transportation has

been discontinued, but they're happy up there. they stay up there for months. >> other than no trouble with the fitness test and the engineering, you'd do it. a landmark discovery about space. two earth-size planets outside our solar system. they're orbiting around a sun-like star. but because of how close they are to that star, the planets are way too hot for life. temperatures top out at 800 degrees. this is a very significant find and here's why. chief astronomer at the franklin institute science institute in philly joined us earlier this morning to explain just what these planets mean to us. >> extraordinarily difficult for us to be able to find these little tiny planets orbiting stars at such an incredible distance. the equipment that we're using is absolutely incredible. and the engineers that create these things are really great. but the other fact is that we are now discovering planets at such a high rate that it's only

a matter of time, maybe even less than a year before we find an earth-like planet in the right location where water can be liquid. >> wow. >> less than a year. the new planets are about 1,000 light years away. check of early morning markets coming up next, plus, social networking site facebook has an ad system that is moving on to your profile page. what it means to you and we'll give you details about it, coming up. 19 minutes after the hour. now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant.

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23 minutes after the hour. "minding your business" on track for a positive open on wall street. in fact, dow futures up more

than 200 points. signs of strength in the housing market. the number of new homes breaking ground rose to an annual rate of 685,000 in november. it's up 24% from a year earlier. economists tell cnn money if congress fails to extend the payroll tax holiday put a serious dent next year. also warn it could tip the u.s. back into recession. a sign cuba is slowly moving towards capitalism, banks in the communist run island are now reportedly offering loans to individual citizens. hopal for people to redo their home or invest in the private business. ads appearing between your friend's status updates. sponsored ads appearing in your newsfeed. facebook is working things out, but hope to show no more than one sponsored story per day. the nfl announcing that the super bowl, along with some post-season games, will be streamed online through

verizon's mobile app. a family says they were kicked off their flight for having too many kids. "american morning" back right after the break. [ female announcer ] help i need a holiday party idea. mmm... pillsbury crescent wrapped brie just unroll, wrap the brie and bake. it's so easy. now this might even impress aunt martha.

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a live look at capitol hill and the white house this morning. the house refusing to keep your taxes lower for a little longer because of politics. and now the white house is taking the payroll tax battle on twitter. on this "american morning." morning, welcome back to "american morning." 27 minutes after the hour. i just want to correct something we told you a couple minutes ago. stock futures are not up. they're down across the board. they were up yesterday. right now, stock futures are down pointing to a negative open. not a drastically negative one, but they're down, not up. >> not unusual after you have seen 337 points up on the dow, sometimes you see a step back the next morning. top stories, extremely

hazardous holiday travel. many roads still closed across five states after a deadly winter storm ripped through the southwest rockies and plains. storm warnings are up today as another storm moves in. kim jong-un will share power with his uncle and military, this is according to reuters. the country will reportedly shift to collective rule from a dictatorship. kim jong-un is the son and successor of kim jong-il who died over the weekend. seeing moammar gadhafi's son and top aide after being captured. human rights watch says he's being held in isolation, but is in good, physical condition. the group also said saif gadhafi needs access to a lawyer for due process. a carcass infect would the bird flu was found in a poultry market there. officials still trying to determine whether the chicken

was imported or came from a local farm. and washington's dysfunction could mean less money in your paycheck next year. yesterday the republican-led house extended and house speaker john boehner now says it's up to the president to call back the senate from its christmas vacation and insist they hammer out a new deal. >> now, it's up to the president to show real leadership. he said that he won't leave town for the holidays until this bill is done. the next step is clear. i think president obama needs to call on senate democrats to go back into session, move to conference and sit down and resolve this bill as quickly as possible. >> congress makes a good point of telling the president that he's not the boss of them, except when they want to call back the senate. the senate called back and said we're perfectly hap wae the bill we passed, you need to pass it. >> president obama said we will not pay. he has the white house staff

launching a twitter war with republicans. dan lothian live at the white house. dan, what is this twitter campaign all about? >> well, christine, this is a way for the white house to push back on house republicans. turning up the volume by appealing to the public. and with the help of the public and they're breaking it down pointing out that a family who makes roughly $50,000 a year stands to lose about $40 a paycheck. and, so, what they did was they appealed out there to the twitterverse to send in what that $40 would mean to them using the $40 hash mark. one person wrote, it is a third of my student loan. half of my groceries and gas money for the weak. another wrote kids' school lunch, $40. and then finally $40 is the amoubt that is in my bank account right now. for his part, president obama pop under to the briefing room yesterday, again, pointing the finger at house republicans making it clear this is not a game. >> one of the house republicans

referred to what they're doing as "high-stakes poker." he's right about the stakes, but this is not poker. this is not a game. this shouldn't be politics as usual. right now the recovery is fragile, but it is moving in the right direction. our failure to do this could have affects not just on families, but on the economy as a whole. >> the president says that now is not the time to play politics and that members of congress and particular house republicans should put aside the areas of disagreement, find areas of compromise and get this done, but as we've heard, republicans pointing the finger at the president, as well. christine, ali? >> all right, dan, thank you for that. meantime, president obama's approval rating rebounding a little bit. does the president still plan to go to hawaii over the christmas holidays? we'll find out about that, as well. the fbi stepping up its efforts in the search for a missing toddler from maine.

investigators are combing the neighborhood of 20-month-old reynolds and following up more than 100 tips. the little girl was last seen when her father put her to bed on friday night. 75 officers working on the case. so far no suspects. 49 school teachers and administrators have been caught in the cheating scandal. they're accused of adjusting results on starderedized tests. a task force looking into suspiciously high scores stumbled upon this. teachers felt pressured by no child left behind. the ncaa is hitting ohio state with a one-year bowl ban. involving players who accepted thousands of cash and gifts in exchange for buckeye jerseys and memorabilia. former coach, jim trestle keeping the officials in the dark about it. a family says they were kicked off a flight because they had too many little kids. a 3-year-old, two 20-month-old

twins and an 8-month-old. mom and dad said they bought three tickets. they were told children under the age of 2 need a ticket. no one at douglas security said anything about that. they even claim a first class passenger offered to buy them another ticket, but the airline wouldn't allow it. >> i feel we were discriminated against because we had too many young children in their eyes. >> we held up the plane for 30 or 40 minutes at this point we kept on doing what they had asked us to do. >> we asked usairways forry sponse and they said we resolved the issue with the customers. infants do not need tickets, but they have to sit on a lap. it's one baby per adult. >> so, one extra body they didn't have a lap. >> they have three babies and two adults. >> the puzzlement here is how they got as far as they did

without someone figuring it out. the airline said they booked the ticket online. tricky situation for parents traveling with kids you either have to have a seat or a lap available. >> even if you bought a ticket for one of the 20-month-old. they can't sit by itself in a seat -- >> you'd have to have a car seat for them. >> it sounds like a -- >> it's a complicated, tricky lesson. >> from a 20-month-old to a 106-year-old. a 106-year-old stockbroker who started work a year before the great depression, he's still trading. 34 minutes after the hour. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options.

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new york, that was such a beautiful shot we were looking at an hour ago or two hours ago. >> now it's cloudy and foggy. >> rainy and 58 later today. we're playing the song because, gosh -- >> you want to see the fountain of youth. it's on wall street. as you said, this is the

original "occupy wall street" guy. >> he has been occupying since the great depression. >> his name is irving kahn. 106 years old. started investment banking before the great depression. more than 80 years later, he still goes to work every day, but he took a little time from his schedule to chat with our own poppy harlow. >> he just got back from the gym. training for the marathon. >> this man was incredible and an honor to meet him and an honor to hear how the world has changed and he has seen it over the last 106 years. i think he teaches us all a lesson. if you want to be 106, just keep going to work. wall street 80 years ago. irving kahn. when were you born? >> december 19, 1905. ♪ >> reporter: he rang the opening bell at the new york stock exchange on his 100th birthday. that was six years ago.

how has wall street changed during your life? >> well, when i got to the street in it was much more a rich man's game. not that i was rich. it was designed for insurance companies or utilities. no longer a rich man's business. it's a business for everybody. >> reporter: do you still watch the stock market very closely every day? >> well, i have the bloomberg right here, i don't watch it because i'm not a trader. >> reporter: you're a value investor. >> i stick to the 20 stops i hold. >> who is your idle, irving? >> graham. a lot of other people wish they could do what he did. >> he works every day. >> reporter: what do you think is to thank for your father's

longevity? >> i would say the fact that he has an office to go to and a job and responsibilities is extremely important. >> reporter: do you think you will live to be as old as your father has lived so far? do you want to? you didn't always have bloomberg terminals? >> no. i was very lucky being born in 1905. i was just in time for a lot of the new technologies. radio, television. >> reporter: do you have a cell phone now? >> yes, i do. i don't use it much except to remind myself what my number is. >> reporter: i see. but irx rv doesn't think technology necessarily makes things earlier. when he looks at the gadgets his grandson, andrew, uses. >> he also has to know how to work you have to interrupt me

otherwise i talk too much. >> one of the most enjoyable interviews that i have done in all of 2011. you know, it was interesting his son, tommy, who by the way is 69 said to me, a lot of people think he actually doesn't work but he comes in here every day and he is working and meets with some of our biggest clients about their portfolios and telling me about some of his stock holdings, but this guy makes smart investments. i look at stocks that don't go up and don't go down and they pay a good dividend and i ride it out. >> what a fun guy. does he eat well? >> he likes thai food. maybe that's the secret. >> i heard he eats thai food when you got in and christine and i were talking about that. when he rang the bell when he was 100 years old. also a rare interview with president bill clinton ten years

after leaving office. what is he up to now? 42 minutes after the hour. their promises once a year. but we believe in helping people take steps to keep them every single day. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow.

43 minutes after the hour. here are your morning headlines. markets open in 45 minutes. right now stock futures have retreated from earlier gains trading lower despite positive news that the european central bank has lent nearly $476 billion to the region's bank to boost confidence in the euro zone.

president obama is pushing the house to vote on the senate's plan to extend the payroll tax cut by two months. but so far house republicans have only passed a measure for more no negotiations. the white house has take on the payroll tax fight to twitter. they're asking folks what $40 means to them. that's because if the payroll tax holiday is not extended, the average american would get about $40 less per paycheck. big holiday travel trouble, folks. drifting snow keeping some roads closed across several states in the plains and rockies after a deadly winter storm. more snow now on the way today. the faa is expected to announce new regulations to combat pilot fatigue this morning. this after many delays due to industry acquisition over costs. the rule is expected to change work hours for pilots that came into investigation after that 2009 crash in buffalo, new york, that revealed fatigue was the cause of that crash. stunning video of a russian soyuz rocket successfully

launching from caukazakhstan on 23 minutes ago. they're on their way to the international space station and expected to dock on friday. that's the news you need to know to start your day. "american morning" is back right after a break. get the technology they love, on the network they deserve. and video chat with up to 9 of your friends with the galaxy nexus by samsung, or get the samsung stratosphere, and for a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price. verizon.

good morning, washington. cloudy and 50. going to be rainy, but the good news is it is up to 63. kind of balmy in the northeast. half the country is getting blanketed by the winter storm, but nice out here. >> 63 on the day before winter, interesting. the special series that shines the spotlight on

celebrities and, pore importamo importantly, the causes they support. alina cho sits down for rare and revealing one-on-one interviews. >> pressure's on. >> come on, alina, you have to deliver. >> we spent a lot of time over the past couple of years talking to people like madonna, elton john, nicole kidman. well, he is not a hollywood star, but he is one of the best known names on the planet. we are talking about bill clinton. former u.s. president, founder of the clinton foundation. for a decade as a private citizen, he's been using his influence to change the world. the thing is, he says it's changed his life, too. no matter where he goes, president bill clinton is greeted like a rock star. the man many democrats called the best president in modern times is working to make the modern world a better place to live. you had it in your mind that you didn't want to spend the rest of your life wishing you were still

president. >> i enjoyed talking about what happened when i was president. i don't mind telling those stories, but you just need to keep doing something new. >> reporter: that urge to do something new inspired the former president to open an office in harlem and create the william j. clinton foundation. today, the clinton foundation celebrates what it calls a decade of difference. 400 million people impacted in 180 countries. when you hear that, do you think to yourself, wow, that's incredible or, oh, boy, there's a lot more to be done. >> both. this little pill will save 200,000 lives in the world this year. building up health care systems that countries can afford to run. people ask me if i'm doing more good now. i have to live a long time to do as much for as many people as when i was in government. >> reporter: butou can go places. >> i can go places and do things. >> how many sites should we

have? >> reporter: as the u.n. special envoy to haiti, he's visited the country 30 times since 2009. his foundation towards the rebuilding effort. programs in childhood obesity in 13,000 u.s. schools and established a program for entrepreneurs and then the clinton global initiative. >> we wanted to be better. >> reporter: since 2005, the annual meeting has drawn a wide range of people. 150 heads of state. 20 nobel laureates. everyone from bill gates to actors like matt damon. >> i try to bring people together that know things i don't who can do things i can't. >> reporter: 2,100 commitments have come out of the clinton global initiatives when fully funded they'll be valued at $69.2 billion. >> you are so beautiful. >> reporter: working tirelessly to make a difference. traveling all over the world.

150 countries, more than that. what keeps you going? >> i love this work. anybody that had the life i've had, anybody that was given the gift that i was given by the american people, you'd be crazy not to do it. >> president clinton likes to joke that it gave him something to do after leaving the white house, after all, he says, he has a wife with a traveling job. >> with younger presidents, this is a big concern, right? the busiest job in the world. >> a new phenomenon, too. presidents who have basically another career ahead of them and he's a policy and he's got this manic energy and he loves to travel. >> he famously doesn't sleep, as you know. he said, i think the saddest thing in the world is to tell war stories and i didn't want to spend the rest of my life wishing i were president. the interesting thing is you look at the impact he's made. 400 million people in 180

countries. he's been to 150 countries just since leaving office. just look at aids medications, for instance. he was able to drive down the prices of aids medications. as a result, 4 million people around the world have life-saving aids medications who might not otherwise have them. so, it's really, really remarkable what he's been able to do because he's president clinton. >> it's a great line. i bring together people who know things i don't know and do things i can't do and that's really the definition of sort of leadership. >> incredibly humble, too, but he is right, able to bring the greatest minds and the most famous people together for that clinton global initiative, which is just one component. tomorrow, by the way, an interview that might change the way that you think about actor and comedian will ferrell. of course, we all know him as the man who makes us laugh, but he also shows a serious side. he's working to help cancer survivors by giving them college scholarships. he's only working on that one

special charity. we'll tell you about it and also don't miss my holiday special, big stars, big giving airs christmas eve at 2:00 p.m. eastern and christmas day at 4:00 p.m. eastern. >> thanks, alina, can't wait. up next, is this the world's worst delivery man? a fedex driver caught on camera chucking a computer monitor over a six-foot fence. >> we have more of that. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation,

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every city we looked at this morning looks the same. kind of foggy and overcast.

>> thunderstorms and 66 later on, but, here you go. i love that song. who sings that? weezer. >> all right, very good. welcome back to "american morning." >> nothing says christmas like weezer. >> thousands of packages are being mailed out every day. but ever wonders what happens when they're out for delivery? this next story will make you cringe. jeanne moos shows you the worst deliveries ever caught on tape. >> reporter: 'tis the season for packages and next time you open one in tact, be grateful this didn't happen to it. this was a computer monitor tossed over a gate in southern california by a fedex delivery man. but then the surveillance camera video was delivered to youtube and made the news. >> oh! no. >> reporter: and now fedex is saying, we have seen the video and, frankly, we were all shocked. but that's not the only dropoff memorialized on youtube. >> handle with care. yeah, just like that. ground service.

i get it. ground. you throw the [ bleep ] on the ground. >> reporter: it's not just fedex. >> what can brown do for you? >> reporter: u.p.s. brown can toss your package underhand. it can toss it overhand. >> look at that. >> reporter: it can toss it like a horse shoe. fences and gates are the delivery man's nemesis as a driver posted from a delivery point of view, gates are hostile. don't like it, get rid of the gate. the guys videoing this u.p.s. delivery man compared his technique to loading garbage. >> think there is anything that is going to be damaged in there? nah. >> reporter: it could be worse, at least they're not ace ventura. ♪ of all the special deliveries we saw, none was more special than

this by fedex. there were sparks coming off the box and the man who was shooting -- >> this guy has no idea that he's pushing an oven. >> reporter: as for the computer monitor heaved over the gate, the person who posted it says the monitor was broken and it's sad because he was home at the time if the delivery man had just rung the bell. i'm sure what you're probably wondering is, does this guy still have a job? fedex tells cnn, we have i.d.'d the employee involved. he is being handled according to our internal disciplinary policies. >> federal express, when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. >> reporter: they said overnight, not in one piece. now that everyone has a camera, it doesn't pay for the delivery elves to get sloppy. ♪ he knows if you've been good or bad, so be good for goodness sake ♪ >> fedex ground truck